My favorite memories as a child were when we were all pretty young and every night after dinner, before cleaning everything up, Dad would read to us at the table. My very favorite was when he read the Brer Rabbit stories. He did an excellent job at the redneck voices too, and by the end of each chapter, none of us would be able to stop laughing.
My mother also had a great influence in my love for books. She was always encouraging me to find something new to read. For presents I'd get series like Little House on the Prairie or the Chronicles of Narnia. She even gave me my first Jane Austin book, Pride & Prejudice...even though I was still too young to comprehend it. Because of her I started my Classic Starts collections...by the time I was ten I had read classics such as Great Expectations, Little Women, Tom Sawyer, Black Beauty, Heidi, and there are at least 15 more in my collection. When I would come home from school, Mom would pull out her book of fairy tales, and we'd sit together as she read to me.
So, in that very long explanation, it all boils down to the fact that books have been an integral part of my growing up years...they're a part of who I am. There's such a great satisfaction when completed a book.
But reading became more than just a habit passed down through the generations...I found that it was my way of escaping the real world. When things were happening that I didn't fully comprehend...or at least no one else thought I could comprehend...I would go to my books...I would escape to worlds such as the ones created by Jane Austin. Because even if problems existed around Darcy and Lizzy...they always ended up together. There would be a happy ending. Even if there were battles being fought where people suffered and were destroyed or gave up...the hero came through and always triumphed in the end. Arguments were reconciled. Problems were solved. Love was found. Families remained intact.
This is, in part, why I keep away from stories that involve real-life situations and people. I have the scriptures and the gospel to help me solve my own problems...I don't need to look at some fictitious character's life that's falling apart to console me. I need those happy endings that usually happen in completely fictional situations/worlds, not just for the pure joy that comes from taking in the fluidity of the written word, but to remind me that there can be peace at the end of the battles.
Anywho...that was a huge long spcheel that's been waiting to get out for awhile...sadly I haven't had a lot of time to read a book for fun for awhile, and I just finished my first one, Dear John by Nicholas Sparks. Grant it...it wasn't my favorite of all time...but a sad ending is to be expected from Nicholas Spark's books. All in all, I enjoyed it. It's like my sister-in-law said, Sparks doesn't show the typical happy endings for the heroes of the stories. They don't fall in love and get their happily-ever-afters. Instead, he sees deeper into love. He shows a higher love, of selflessness, that overreaches all pain, loss, sadness.
True, but most of his characters do end up with the right person and usually there is a happy ending. The ones they have put into movies aren't all like that, but some of the others are. Course there are always tears. (and that one scene . . . he is quite predictable so it's easy to skip it thank goodness) My favorite thing about his books are the characters. he does a really really good job creating characters. "Lucky one" is a good book (and you would like the end)--even the dog is a character. I used to like the twist in his books(each one has a twist) but now, I kind of expect it and know what to look for and usually can predict it, so it's not as big a deal.
ReplyDeleteI finally read pride and prejudice. loved it. Did you know that some author made sequels to it? i saw them at Sams. Very curious about them.
yea, I kind of want to read more of Spark's books. They're interesting.
ReplyDeletebut ya I've read some of the "sequels"...so far I haven't found one I like. They're either really horribly corny, take a funky twist in the story, or are full of scandals and immorality. If you find a good one let me know!